Workflow management is implemented in manufacturing at many levels. The nature of
processes varies at each level, hindering the use of a standard modeling or implementation
solution. The creation of a flexible workflow management framework that overarches
the heterogeneous business process levels is challenging. Still, one of the promises
of the Industry 4.0 initiative is precisely this: to provide easy-to-use models and
solutions that enable efficient execution of enterprise targets. By addressing this
challenge, this article proposes a workflow execution model that integrates information
and control flows of these levels while keeping their hierarchy. The overall model
builds on the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for modeling at the enterprise
level and recipe modeling based on colored Petri net (CPN) at the production level.
Models produced with both alternatives are implemented and executed in a framework
supported by an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). Loosely coupled, late-bound system elements
are connected through the Arrowhead framework, which is built upon the Service-Oriented
Architecture (SOA) concept. To prove its feasibility, this article presents the practical
application of the model via an automotive production scenario. Note to Practitioners-The
methodology detailed in this article can serve as a basis for experts who are dealing
with industrial workflows. Reacting to the requirements of Industry 4.0, i.e., the
virtualization, decentralization, modularity, real-time capability, and service orientation,
this article provides a concept that can answer all the defined criteria. First, it
adopts a new two-level approach to workflow management, which makes the understanding
and control of workflows easier, enhancing transparency. Furthermore, it demonstrates
how-even completely different-applications and modeling languages can be integrated
into a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). The presented composition and the used
tools are all tried and tested. Behind the solution described in this article, there
is a genuine, working code wherewith the presented end-to-end workflow management
can be achieved. Following the methodology detailed in this article, the readers can
construct their workflow management composition. In order to report on the performance
of the created solution, this article presents different measurement compositions
that allow the investigation of the essential components separately, demonstrating
the scalability and temporal parameters.
